Recently I had the pleasure of discussing the idea of establishing career goals with a group of new information professionals, like myself.
As the conversation continued, I realized that since I began my job in May 2011 I hadn’t reflected on my career and what I hoped to accomplish. Starting a new job (especially when it’s your first) is exhilarating. You’re learning the ropes and contributing your ideas and before you know it over a year has passed. In the current job market, where landing that first job is a major hurdle it can seem self-indulgent to spend time thinking about the next job or next step in one’s career. On the otherhand, I certainly don’t want to wake up in 25 years and realize I’ve become complacent or unaccomplished and unhappy.
Coming up with career goals after starting that first “grown up job” is daunting. You have to admit there are things you don’t know- which you buried about yourself during the job search process. And if you choose to, reaching out to a potential mentor opens up a certain vulnerability as well.
So what to do- Climb under the covers? It took some serious reflection to remember what some of my goals were and to bring them out of dormancy. For example:
I would love to spend time in the archives of my alma mater and conduct a research project.
In the next year I want to successfully submit a session proposal to SAA.
I want to write and publish an article in American Archivist.
I want to live and work in Boston someday.
These are just a few of the goals I want to accomplish in the next few years. I don’t quite know how I will achieve all of these goals. But I do know that writing them down and reflecting on what I want my career to look like will get me closer to where I think I want to be.